Our Lord Jesus left us with just two outward, visible signs of our inward, invisible faith; Baptism and Holy Communion. I remember as a child watching baptisms take place in our church. Just before the paster would dunk the new deliver into the water, he would say, “upon your profession of faith in the Lord Jesus, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
Have you ever given much thought to that statement, “your profession of faith”? What faith are we professing exactly? Sometimes I wish the the pastor, before submerging the new believer would say something like:
“Upon the strength of Christ’s forgiveness of sins, by his death on the cross, which formed the New Covenant; the promise of God, sealed with the precious blood of Jesus, that He would call men and women forth from every people of the earth, and that you are one of those whom God has so called, loved and saved, I baptize you…” Putting the emphases of our profession and faith Jesus and His work.
The hope set forth in your Baptism is Christ’s unyielding Covenant of Grace, His opening your eyes to behold Him as glorious, His calling your forth from death to life, His adopting you into the family of God, His loving you before you loved Him, His becoming sin for you, that you might become acceptable in Him. In baptism, we confess that Christ has done all this for us. Your baptism, dear Christian, is the outward, visible sign, of that inward, invisible work that Christ has done for you.
Father, thank you for placing this sign of your covenant upon me. Thank you for sealing my faith with it. As surely as the water washed over me in my baptism, you have washed away all my sins.
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